In 2012, 6,926 volunteers collected, tallied, and removed over 350,000 pieces of debris from NJ’s shoreline during Clean Ocean Action’s 27th Annual Beach Sweeps. The majority of the debris removed was disposable plastics—items designed to be used once and thrown away. Plastic, including foam, represents 82.7% of the total waste found. It is clear: disposable plastic items continue to litter beaches, threaten marine life, and impact water quality.